I'm not sure if this is the right place for this “confession”, but some of you might find it helpful/inspiring.
Around the start of 2019, I found myself jobless and homeless, none of which was my responsibility. Being a vet, I qualified for both Medicaid and guaranteed job assistance. They found me a job doing customer service for a mortgage company. I'm a leftist (bordering on anarchy) so this was NOT my dream job, by a long shot. But I needed to get back on my feet, so I swallowed my pride and showed up for training. After about 3 weeks, They told me that I would be working the FORECLOSURE lines. I felt like quitting right then, but I talked to my instructor and took the weekend to think it over.
On Monday, I showed up for the rest of my training with a new outlook on the job. I took my chat with the instructor to heart and I planned to subvert the system and be an advocate for the customer. My motto became “Screw the rules” if it would help the person on the other end of the phone. I ended up at the top of my class, with a pay raise and a meager $0.25 merit raise for being tops in the class.
Immediately, I put my plan into action. I started by giving my customers my name and extension number (1st rule broken) and told them that if they had any problems to ask for me specifically and not to take no for an answer (rule #2 gone). By the time they got off the phone with me the 1st time, they knew that even tho' I got paid by “the man” I didn't give a f*ck (Rule #3) – I worked for them. I was there to do everything I could to make sure they kept their house. In 2 months, my in-house evals went from meh to very good, especially after I let my immediate supervisor into my rationale for my actions. My customer evaluations were excellent. The company used to give away large flat-screen TVs for perfect evals… but I never got a TV, even with 5 perfect scores in one week.
A couple of months in, it was time to sign up for health insurance. The company VP for benefits management came to town to get us signed up. I listened to his schpiel and ran the numbers. I couldn't afford the insurance. I'd make less on the plan than I would if I worked 1/2-time and stayed on Medicaid. So, I went to the manager and told him that I could only work 1/2 time. The company had a full-time-only policy but he said he'd see what he could do (no guarantees).
The next Monday, he was gone and there was a new hard-ass bitch of a manager in the office as I started my 1/2 days. A month later, she calls me into her office to “discuss my hours”. I told her the last manager “guaranteed” I could work 1/2 time because of my excellent rapport with the customers. She bought it. But, I continued accruing PTO and sick days at full-time rates and I didn't say a thing. Plausible deniability.
The customers continued to love me. I continued breaking the rules. I contacted the underwriters and BK attorneys on their behalf. Gave them contact information for government programs to get them up to date. And even when they did have to give up their home, I let them in on alternatives to eviction, like short sales and “deed-in-lieu”, where they could voluntarily give over the keys to the house and the company would pay 1st, last & deposit on a rental. A little-known fact, mortgage companies rarely come out ahead from foreclosures that go to court and auction. They'd much rather pay out a little more than lose a lot at auction.
I've had more than my share of jobs that I looked forward to going to on a Monday morning. I was an award-winning craft brewer (until I hurt my back) and in emergency disaster response to name a few. This one made me feel good as well. That ended when COVID hit and Biden put a moratorium on foreclosure and evictions. While I was extremely glad he did it, it made my job redundant until the end of it. I suddenly didn't have any customers that needed my expertise. My phone line went silent.
I took some sick days and PTO for an operation. When I came back, I was on the regular customer service line. I was taking payments, listening to complaints, and being that smiling face on the other end of the line… a corporate shill. Everything I despised about Capitalism.
I also found out that they installed an AI for quality control on the calls. Instead of being audited on only a portion of calls, by a local supervisor versed in foreclosures. I was being audited on EVERY call. There were certain keywords and phrases that I had to say EXACTLY or fail the audit. Instead of taking my time to talk through a customer's problems, I had to have the call completed in under 7 minutes… no matter what the problem or concern.
Needless to say, my audit stats plummeted. I started getting “coaching sessions” from my supervisor. Since I was now working from home due to COVID, all of them had written documentation. They all ended with the phrase, “Failure to show improvement may lead to termination”. Over the following 3 months, I received *58* such coaching sessions. My blood pressure and stress went up, and up, and up. I began regretting that short walk from my bedroom to the kitchen and the office each morning. My shift always ended with a monster of a headache. Eventually, one Friday, a coworker transferred a customer to me. They were surly and irate even before I came on the line. They probably dropped at least 3 f-bombs in the first 10 seconds. Even when I was working on foreclosures, I rarely had to deal with customers like this. But I had a measured tone and knew the right words to calm them down. That day, I (and he) was having none of it.
I told him “They don't pay me enough to listen to your sh*t.” and hung up the phone. I then told my super that I was quitting early because of a headache… but not before getting another coaching session (it wasn't about the last caller). After that, I emailed all my “coaching session” forms to my home email, and called in sick all the next week, intending to use up any remaining sick days and PTO.
The manager-bitch called me the following Monday and asked me when I was coming back to work. I told her that I planned to use up all my time off due me and then give my 2 weeks' notice. She told me that would not be necessary, she'd accept my immediate resignation. FINALLY!!! I was free!
She then had the nerve to dispute my unemployment claim. I told the state unemployment office that it was a hostile workplace and I had copies of all the written warnings I'd be happy to email them to their office. They declined my offer. I had my withheld weeks of benefits almost immediately and I thought I could hear that bitch yelling from across town. Come to find out the company also had a rule of not firing employees, so they wouldn't have to pay unemployment. Well, I guess I was able to break one last rule before leaving.
Well, this may not have been helpful or inspiring, but it certainly was cathartic. If you've made it this far, Thank you for reading.